Welcome to the somewhat angsty prologue for my Oct. 3 project, Burning like Fire. (Recently renamed from Burning Fire because this name makes more sense.) Because October 3rd wasn't just a date. It wasn't just the day that Edward and Alphonse Elric burnt down the house. It was the day that they chose their path, the day they promised to keep walking forward, to never go back. Which leads to the question. What if that never happened? What if Edward never chose to become a State Alchemist, a dog of the military? An AU collection of one-shots for Fullmetal Alchemist (is it still called Fullmetal Alchemist if there isn't a Fullmetal Alchemist?) telling the story of Edward and Alphonse if they never chose to join the military. Expect updates every October 3rd, no guarantees for any earlier date. Mangaverse. Spoilers.

I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist was written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa and animated by Funimation. This disclaimer applies for this and all future chapters of Burning like Fire.

Happy October 3rd!

Slightly edited as of 21. January. 2013

In the eastern region of Amestris was a town called Resembool. It was small, with a low populace. The houses were spread far apart, yet everyone knew everyone. It was once a peaceful area, until the Ishvalan terrorist attacks that destroyed part of the town.

That and the screams one summer night in the year 1910.

That was a little over a year ago. The current date: 3. Oct. 11.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

Alphonse Elric slowly walked towards his brother's bed, pretending not to notice the clanging sound coming from his own body, pretending not to notice his brother's sweat covered face, pretending not to notice the obvious fact that his brother was in a nightmare.

Most likely of that night.

Setting down the tray of food that Granny Pinako had asked him to bring to Ed on the bedside table, he tried to gently shake his brother awake.

With a soft groan that left Al worrying if he wasn't careful enough, Edward finally opened his gold coloured eyes, and looked at the suit of armor right in front of him.

His little brother.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

"AL!" he screamed refusing to look at the pile of empty clothes right next to him.

"** it! This wasn't supposed to happen!" Staring at the stump that used to be his left leg.

"AL!" He knew that it was hopeless, yet he could never admit it.

"ALPHONSE!" That was it. His brother had been taken.

He finally let himself stare at Al's clothes. All his fault.

Which meant it was his job to fix it.

He dragged himself over to his father's antique suit of armor. Knocked it over. Dipped his finger into the pool of his own blood. Painted on the symbol that instantly came to his mind, a circle with an eight-point star in the center, touching the edges, and a cane in the middle. Pictured the array in his mind. Clapped his hands, creating the circle.

"You can take my arm, my other leg, my heart! Just give him back; he's the only family I have left!" Brought his hands to the seal.

It wasn't possible to bring his brother's body back. But it was possible to retrieve his soul. Hating himself, Edward Elric, age eleven, missing one arm and one leg, looked into the glowing red eyes of his brother's new body. The screaming reminder of his own mistake.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

She couldn't stand it. She wished that Ed and Al had decided to become State Alchemists. No, she didn't want Ed and Al to join the military, to die, but she couldn't stand the overwhelming sadness and hopelessness coming from her friends, her brothers. It wasn't a matter of lack of opportunity. That man from the military had come just over a year ago saying that they have the potential to join the State Alchemist program and get the research funds and resources required to get their bodies back. And if she was completely honest, she knew that Ed could have finished his rehab weeks ago. He was just that stupidly stubborn.

But he wasn't even trying.

Admittedly, he went through the treatment quieter than any other patient she and her grandmother had ever known. But in the end, he had given up. He was dead inside.

And that was what Winry Rockbell hated the most.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

"Sir, are you sure that he's coming?"

"Of course. The automail rehabilitation simply takes a long time."

"No, he's not."

"What do you mean?"

"You were wrong. That look in his eyes; it's gone now."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because if he had a fire anywhere near as bright as the kind you described, he would be here by now, or at least he would have sent a letter."

"Not everyone can be as organised as you."

"But if he truly wanted to be a State Alchemist, he would have already done everything he can to raise his chances of succeeding in the test."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because that fire you were talking about, you had it. You had the same look in your eyes when you decided to change this country."

Roy Mustang finally looked up from his alchemy notes to acknowledge the truth in Riza Hawkeye's words.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

Ed knew that he was letting everyone down by not trying his best to become a State Alchemist. That much was obvious. But he couldn't. He couldn't let Al become the brother of a Dog of the Military, and he definitely couldn't let Al become one himself. He knew that if he didn't go, then Al wouldn't go. It was manipulative of him, yes, but it was for Al's own good. They would never cause the death of another human again.

That doesn't mean that he didn't want to restore their bodies. It simply meant that he refused to become one with the very people who caused the death of Winry's parents. It simply meant that he didn't want to commit another murder. But he didn't give up. The whole time that he was lying in the bed, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming out in pain (because no matter how much pain he's going through, it's nothing to what Al went through), he was thinking. Quietly sorting out the information he had gained from the Truth, thinking of ways to get Al's body back.

Of course, that was only when he was awake.

During the night, it was nightmares. Dark shadows (was it his imagination or did they have eyes?) just barely masking the face of his transmuted mother. Blood flowing, from him, from his mother. Al's screams as he asked Ed for help. But no matter how hard he tried, there was nothing Ed could do. He replayed the scene where he sacrificed his arm over and over in his nightmares. Some where it succeeded. Some where all he managed to bring back was an insane shadow of his brother. Some where, instead of the soul, Ed brought back an empty flesh puppet, Al's body without his soul. That one was the worse, though there were many other variations of that night.

Because of this, he couldn't even imagine leaving Resembool, for fear of what would happen to Al, to Winry, to Granny.

Which is why, instead of becoming a State Alchemist, he chose to be bed-ridden. And when he finally recovers from the automail surgery, he thought, he will do everything he can to get Al's body back. Even if it meant looking for a legend.

Don't Forget 3. Oct. 11.

The man with the wires stuck to his back looked up for a brief moment.

The Promised Day was going to begin soon enough.

Now, to find those human sacrifices…